Garment hangers are widely used by individuals, dry cleaners, uniform rental services, clothing manufacturers, clothing stores and other establishments for storing, hanging, and transporting garments. The majority of such hangers are formed from a relatively thin gauge steel wire. Reasons for the wide use of wire hangers include, among others, the ease of manufacture, plentiful supply of the necessary materials used in manufacturing the hangers, durability, and their relatively low cost in comparison with competing devices and materials used in manufacture, such as wood or plastic.
There are two basic types of wire hangers currently widely in use. The first type has an upper hook member for engaging the supporting rod and suspending the hanger. Extending angularly from the hook member on each side thereof are arm members which engage the shoulder and arm portions of the shirt or coat hung thereon. A bottom or lower rod member is extended transversely, integrally connecting the lower ends of the arm members for receiving and holding trousers, skirts, etc., thus providing a generally triangular configuration.
The second basic type includes the hook and angular arm members; however, the arm members are terminated at their lower ends and configured to receive and support a transverse cross member, normally a cardboard or paper tube, for receiving and holding trousers etc. A particular problem with such hangers is the general lack of any means to secure garments on the lower transverse rod or tube member, thus, the garments may easily slip off of the rod member during transporting of the garments or simply by gravity. Prior art devices which attempt to prevent this problem have, in general, provided upwardly projecting means or fingers which engage the cuffs or belt loops of the garment, as illustrated by U.S. Pat. No. 2,812,888 to Hendersonn for a Garment Hanger, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,171,693 to Glendenning, for a Trouser Hanger. A different type of construction with the same purpose is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,426,330 to Yacoe for a Skirt and Trouser Hanger. All of these devices provide means to hold and secure trousers or skirts; however, the shirt or coat engaging arm members are eliminated, thus decreasing the versatility and usefulness of the hanger while adding to overall production, material, and utilization costs in that separate hangers are required for shirts, coats, and the like.
Thus, a need continues to exist in the art for a garment hanger which provides positive securement of garments on the lower rod member without sacrificing functions provided by the more basic types of hangers described hereinabove.